Food for busy (or lazy) people who aren't afraid to play. I love my tools - use both Chefs Toolbox products and my trusty Thermomix. I am not into lots of fiddling about but am not afraid to experiment with flavour. Wherever possible I will include the Weight Watchers ProPoints for my recipes. My friends and family are my food critics. I would be thrilled if you shared what you think.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Asian inspired rice wraps

A friend sent me this recipe a few years ago and it has become a real favourite
I use skirt steak, trimmed and sliced very thin against the grain. This week my lovely butcher did it for me. A whole 1.5kg but you can adjust quantities to suit yourself
Mix marinade in a glass or ceramic bowl. I use my old 1960s Sunbeam mixmaster bowl. The mixmaster is long gone but both bowls are still going strong.

Marinade:

2 teaspoons light brown sugar

1 teaspoon each chopped garlic and ginger

1 tablespoon each mirin, soy sauce and fish sauce

add beef, mix well and refrigerate for at least two hours

By the way if you have never tried using chopsticks to mix stuff - do - they are excellent!

Heat about a teaspoon of oil in a frpan or wok. I used my Chefs Toolbox wok which is a dream tool. I actually threw out the wok I got for my sixteenth birthday after 6 months using this one!

Cook the beef in batches so it goes nice and brown and crispy not grey and soggy.

Put the beef aside. It's OK - it doesn't need to be served hot. You can do this in advance and was up BEFORE dinner if you like!

But this bit has to be done at the last minute. Boil a kettle and while it is boiling unpack some rice vermicelli. I always chop mine up with scissors a little bit to make the length of the strands more manageable

Pour the boiled water on and soak for two minutes, then drain.

At some stage you prepare your vegetables. Clockwise from front - baby spinach leaves, cucumber batons, fresh mint from the garden, finely grated carrot, shredded letuce (use cos or iceberg), bean sprouts and in the middle there is a mix of chopped spring onions and red chilli

Put the beef, noodles and vegetables on the table with one or two large flat bowls and some soy and sweet chilli sauce. Fill the bowls with boiling water while you search for every pair of teeny tiny tongs you own.
Each person makes their own wraps. Soak each wrap till it softens.

Fill with beef, noodles, salad and sauce. Don't overfill.

And roll. You don't have to close both ends, although if you are doing some extra for tomorrows lunch it is best to seal both ends. You can also make a vermicelli salad for lunch the next day out of all the leftover bits.
No idea on the ProPoints but if you go easy on the noodles it won't be too many.